Concept, Ariss.
Grace. Beauty. Fear.
An assassin by nature, with a kit focused primarily around damage and mobility with a noticeable absence of crowd control. Defined by low cooldowns and high mobility, but limited by time and positioning. A champion who, if pulled off well, would be able to deal massive damage to entire teams while avoiding any herself. Or, conversely, could fall flat with ease due to a squishy nature and damage that can be avoided pretty easily.
Her damage would be found mostly in her Q and E. An AP champion, there would be very little to her autoattacks, though a less skilled player would get exceptional amounts of mileage from a lichbane.
Her Q, bare with me, is ever so slightly complex. Once used to it, one wouldn't think much of it, but at the end of the day it differs heavily from most abilities in the game, which complicates things.
First, it's a single target ability with melee range. But, unlike most abilities of its kind, its damage is low, even for its low cooldown. In the end, I think 5/10/15/20/25 would be appropriate base damages. No AP ratio, just a minor tickle, because the initial shock is not what its point happens to be. Likewise, its cooldown would be low. Think one second. Not too overwhelming, I trust. Why so weak, one might ask? Because it comes with a debuff. After getting hit by this move, a counter begins to build up. Starts at zero, lasts for five seconds, and goes up by 10/20/30/40/50+.17AP per second. Or justabout. Concept might be over or underpowered with numbers presented. No math required, however, because it would also have a visual indicator on the afflicted's health bar. A purple bar, representing how much damage stands to be done after calculating MR and damage reduction, would be visible covering the green health of an ally or the red health of an enemy. Upon getting hit with this Q a second time, it deals damage equal to what was built up by the counter. Which could be anything from a mere second's worth to a champion's entire health bar. And then, as a disclaimer, it's reset. Which gives two options that output similar damage. Either you strike once, float around the battlefield waiting for the counter to build up, and strike again for a single glorious moment of carnage, or you're more direct and use the ability off cooldown. Which is easier, has the small advantage of reapplying the base damage, lets you use lich bane, activates rylais, and all that jazz.
Weaknesses include the fact that you don't get much more damage by constantly using it against the same opponent over and over again. And if the enemy manages to get away for a mere five seconds, it does basically nothing. But it allows you to get consistent damage while moving about the battlefield. And if you're particularly savvy, you'd be capable of keeping it up on multiple opponents, dealing massive damage to the entire team.
Still follow? If not, point out any points of confusion and I'll try to clarify. But as one can't dwell, the second attribute of her damage is her E. Which is a flashy tool and, in comparison, somewhat normal.
In essence, pure damage AOE. Centered on her, perhaps four hundred range, with something like a 5/4.5/4/3.5/3 second cooldown. 80/110/140/170/200+.6AP might be fair for it. It'd have two interesting facets, though. First is the reason why it bares mention after the Q. If it strikes an enemy with her Q's debuff has the timer reset to five seconds, but not the damage, allowing her to maintain the debuff from a range for extended periods of time and, potentially, make it one shot literally anything if she plays her cards well enough for a long enough period of time. .... Minus the accumilated damage from getting hit by this, but details. The second, interesting facet would be specifically how it would interact with her passive. Which would allow for two rather different play styles early game.
Again, if confused, ask and I'll try to clarify.
A'course, that's all well and good. Lady's got some damage options. Might be modestly threatening, only problem is that you still don't know how she moves. And that would hinge heavily on her W. Which, in turn, relies entirely on her passive. At most times. There's a minor caveat that bares mention but we'll get to that. So next, the passive would be worth mentioning.
It's simple, really. Whenever Ariss uses an ability, she spawns a large partially reflective lens at her location. Of which three can exist at any given time. They project faded images of her an equal distance away on the opposite side. Perhaps it would be possible to target said images, but if it were they'd be incapable of taking damage and wouldn't have any unit collision, so it would be entirely to screw with people who have targeted abilities. But I'm guessing not 'cause that would be pointlessly infuriating. And might block skillshots unintentionally. Which would be bad. So lets just say that's not a thing it'd do. Before, I mentioned her E uses these things. And by that, I mean that if she hits any of these lenses with her E, the lens emits a line skillshot facing away from her which extends for an additional four hundred units, giving it a grand total of eight hundred range with this ability. Though everything past four hundred is quite avoidable. Her projections even tell you where it's going to hit, so, uh, yeah.
And then there'd be her W. Which, as mentioned, is heavily reliant on her passive. It can only be cast on a lens, or if you're so interested, on the projection opposite the lens. And it simply causes her to switch place with the projection. She has to be within four hundred units of a lens, giving her the ability to move up to eight hundred units with this ability. Not the most massive, mind, especially considering the limitations. What might be a tad daunting is that the cooldown'd be low.
How low?
Let's project an initial 7/6/5/4/3.
So, like, very mobile. But only around the lenses, which'd make her mostly pretty bad on the chase, not all too prominent at getting away(though done well she'd give Nid a run for her money in that regard), and mostly just very capable in an area she's had some time to set up. Might still need heavy tweaking, though. Even with its limitations I can imagine an experienced player making eyes water.
Which is Ariss. Seem like a proper idea?
What? Champions have four moves? An ultimate?
Mumble mumble mumble.
Sort of a more difficult spot, and the aspect that changes the most out of all of 'em. I mean, like, there're some champions with kits that're cohesive without an ultimate. And then Riot goes on to give them random AOE crowd control. Or a steroid that doubles as a ranged execute. Or a triple dash that's kind of not really necessary.
But, I wonder quite contantly, what could least mess things up in the ultimate slot?
And it's been all over the place. So I'll just say what's currently in my mind, but isn't necessarily what I think it should be.
Her R. About six hundred range. Can only target champions currently under the effect of her Q's debuff.
It creates, essentially, a luminous crystal object that floats above the target, dealing damage in an area around it over time for eight seconds.
Nothing massive. Let's say.... Uh.... 30/40/50+.05AP per second. Grand total of 400+.4 AP, slow death.
It'd have two major functions. The first would be that it constantly resets the timer of any champions getting hit by it. So a particularly devious Ariss player could, theoretically, use her Q and ult to get eighteen seconds worth of her Q set up for one massive chunking. That is to say, if you can't shake her, eighteen seconds in she'll get up close any hit you for 900+3.06AP damage. Which doesn't even seem overpowered now that I did the math. Imma just assume that's a good sign and be optimistic that such a champion could be balanced. Hell, as stated, might even be a little weak.
Regardless. Hyooge deeps.
Second function! Something I'd call the middle finger to Twisted Fate.
Reactivating her ultimate during its eight seconds ends the DoT by changing the weird crystal object into a stationary portal which she then travels to. But to do so she's gotta channel. M'thinks a second would be right and proper.
Upon arrival, her minorly explosive appearance causes the portal to be launched up to three hundred units, dealing minor damage to any targets struck and creating a crystal lens where it landed.
Useful if a target's getting away. Or if you're playing against Shen/Twisted Fate and you notice them ulting. Or you're playing against anyone else and they have teleport. Though that could very easily be a bad idea.
Summation:
Passive summons a stationary lens at her location whenever she uses an ability. Three lenses can exist at any given time. They interact with her W and E, and project illusionary doubles an equal distance from the lens on the opposite side.
Q has a really low cooldown and deals a low amount of initial damage and inflicts a debuff that lasts for five seconds. Using Q on a target that already has the debuff deals damage based on the amount of time they had the debuff and resets it entirely. The amount of damage the activation will do is reflected in the champion's health bar as purple health covering green/red.
W can only be cast on one of her passive lenses or projected doubles, causing her to switch places with one of the projections. She has to be within four hundred units of a lens, and moves to a position an equal distance from the lens on the opposite side, up to eight hundred units away. Low cooldown for a mobility spell.
E deals damage in an AOE centered on herself with 400 range. If she hits a lens with this ability, it emits a line skillshot directed away from her for an additional 400 range. Enemies under the effect of her Q debuff that are struck have their timers reset.
R can only be cast on a target subject to Q's passive. It creates an object over the target that causes a DoT for eight seconds, which refreshes the Q debuff's timer. Reactivating it ends the DoT early and turns the object into a portal. Ariss channels for one second, appearing at the portal's location, and launching it up to 300 units, dealing minor damage to any enemies struck.
An' to anyone who made it this far, thoughts?
Sufficiently dangerous? Not dangerous enough? Entirely too much?
Good parts? Bad parts? Was Simba secretly sired by Rafiki?
Find out in the next episode of Dragonball Z.
